Gardening Articles: Edibles :: Fruit & Nut Trees

An Apple a Day Helps Memory

by Charlie Nardozzi

The old adage "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" can now be amended to include keeping your memory sharp as you age. Research at the University of Massachusetts Lowell suggests that drinking 2 to 3 cups of apple juice or eating 2 to 4 apples a day, along with eating a balanced diet, can help protect the brain from oxidative brain damage that can lead to memory loss. The researchers theorize that apples have antioxidant properties that protect brain cells.

Researchers evaluated adult mice, giving some a standard diet, some a nutrient-deficient diet, and a third group a nutrient-deficient diet supplemented with apple juice. The mice that consumed the diet with apple juice performed better in tests and had less brain damage than the other mice.